Inspection uncovered self-harm hazards at hospital
CQC SAYS MENTAL HEALTH UNIT REQUIRES IMPROVEMENT
A MENTAL health hospital in Nottingham has been issued warnings by inspectors after problems were found with its safety.
Priory Hospital East Midlands, off Mansfield Road in Annesley, was rated as inadequate in terms of safety by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) following an inspection
The hospital, run by Priory Healthcare Ltd, provides care and treatment on wards for adults of working age, as well as psychiatric intensive care units and secure wards for females.
An inspection was carried out into the safety area of its three wards after the CQC “became aware of an increase in incidents and complaints of low staffing numbers”.
During the inspection, which was carried out between September 1 and 7 and published on December 17, the watchdog found raised metal door hinges on the floor in the bedrooms of the psychiatric intensive care unit.
“This could have been a trip or self-harm hazard,” the report said.
Highlighting other issues, it stated: “Managers did not ensure the wards were clean and fit for purpose. The kitchen fridge was untidy, dirty and food was not labelled and a bedroom had not been cleaned to remove bodily fluids. There was no access to a communal bathroom for patients.
“Staff did not always ensure that patients’ physical health had been monitored after receiving rapid tranquilation.”
Inspectors also noticed issues with security surrounding patients’ possessions. They stated: “On Barton ward the security log was not reflective of what was in patients’ lockers. For example, the documentation said nothing was in the patient’s locker, when we checked it was full of toiletries, a razor and art equipment.”
As a result of the findings, Priory Hospital, which is rated as “requires improvement” overall, was served with three warning notices under the Health and Social Care Act, demanding it improve its services by November 1.
The report did find, however, that staff developed “holistic, recovery-oriented” care plans for patients, and that the wards had a suitable number of nurses and doctors that followed “good practice”.
Priory Hospital apologised for the standards of care with regards to safety, saying it “fell below the standards we set ourselves and our patients”.
A spokesperson said: “This CQC inspection was a very limited one. The domains of ‘caring,’ ‘effective,’ ‘responsive’ and ‘well-led’ were not reviewed and we are therefore disappointed with the overall rating of Requires Improvement.
“Nevertheless, our quality and operational teams, working closely with colleagues at the hospital, prioritised the implementation of a comprehensive action plan that addressed all the issues raised, to ensure quality improvements.
“This work is now completed, or significantly under way, and we continue to work hard to ensure that robust systems are in place in relation to hygiene, medicine management and care, to support and safeguard all our patients.
“We will continue to work with the CQC, and local stakeholders, and hope to return the hospital to its previous rating of ‘good’ in all domains as soon as possible.”